About
About ECA
The Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) regulates Ethiopia’s telecommunications, postal, and courier sectors in accordance with the Communications Service Proclamation No. 1148/2019, which established the Authority as the independent national regulator. ECA promotes a competitive, efficient, and innovative market while safeguarding consumer interests and ensuring the orderly development of the sector. In carrying out this mandate, the Authority licenses telecommunications, postal, and courier service providers; manages and assigns scarce resources such as radio frequency spectrum and numbering; monitors and enforces quality of service standards; and promotes fair competition and consumer protection across the communications sector. ECA also oversees the performance of postal and courier operators, ensuring the reliability, speed, and safety of mail and parcel services. Through these functions, the Authority works to expand access to reliable services, strengthen fair competition, and support Ethiopia’s digital and economic development.
Under the Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024, the Ethiopian Communications Authority (ECA) also serves as the national authority responsible for regulating and enforcing personal data protection in Ethiopia. The Authority safeguards individuals’ personal data and privacy by overseeing the lawful, secure, and transparent collection, processing, storage, use, and sharing of personal data by public and private entities, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, international and regional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. In fulfilling this mandate, ECA registers and supervises data controllers and processors, investigates complaints and violations, conducts compliance monitoring, and issues guidelines and directives to support responsible data processing. Through these efforts, the Authority promotes accountability, public awareness, and trust in Ethiopia’s evolving digital ecosystem.
Our Vision
Realizing a digitally competitive and innovative Ethiopia.
Our Mission
To transparently and efficiently regulate the communications sector in Ethiopia and ensure fair competitive practices by all communications service providers to promote accessibility and protect the interests of consumers, while maintaining high-quality communications services at affordable prices.
Our Values
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- Independence: To regulate all service providers fairly, without external influence.
- Transparency: To make all decisions, processes, and actions open and clear to all stakeholders, fostering accountability and trust.
- Accountability: To take responsibility for regulatory decisions and actions, ensuring they can be evaluated and justified.
- Fairness: To apply rules and regulations impartially, providing equal treatment and opportunities for all service providers, consumers and stakeholders.
- Integrity: To act with honesty and ethical standards in all regulatory decisions and interactions, ensuring credibility and trustworthiness.
- Innovation: To encourage creativity, new ideas, and technologies that enhance regulatory effectiveness and service quality.
- Lead the Way: To set an example through proactive, visionary, and forward-thinking actions that drive progress and excellence in the communications and data sector.
Powers and Duties
The Authority’s powers and duties include, but are not limited, to:
- Issuing licenses in the communications industry, including telecommunications, postal, and courier services, and supervision of communications service operators;
- Specifying technical standards for the provision of communications services;
- Regulating types of telecommunications equipment that may be connected to a telecommunications network;
- Managing the use of the radio frequency spectrum in Ethiopia;
- Regulating tariffs related to communications services;
- Ensuring fair competition, preventing anti-competitive practices, and maintaining efficient, transparent, and consumer-oriented communications markets.
- Protecting the interests of communications services consumers;
- Monitoring activities of licensees to ensure that communications services conform to the specified standards of quality, and enforce compliance with the license terms and conditions, including regulatory laws, regulations and directives.
- Promoting information security, data privacy and protection; and
- Safeguarding individuals’ personal data and ensuring privacy by regulating its lawful, secure, and transparent collection, processing, storage, use, and sharing.
Board Members
Dr. Abraham Belay, Minister of Defense
Dr. Shumete Gizaw,
Ms. Lelise Neme, Commisioner, Ethiopian Investment Commission
Ms. Kidist Zegeye
Mr. Abebe Abebayehu
Mr. Eyobed Tibebu
Dr. Ahmed Hussien